All the best horror icons started as humans and became something more. Before he could invade dreams, Freddy Krueger was a child killer. Before he was an unstoppable murder machine, Jason Voorhees was just a kid at camp. And before he was a terrifying menace, Michael Myers was, well, always a terrifying menace. But even after multiple movies, when we look at Terrifier’s Art the Clown, we still don’t know what his deal is, and that’s both fun as well as frustrating.
Though Art appeared in a few earlier short films, the character’s true arc begins in the first Terrifer film from 2016. Written and directed by Damien Leone (as are all the films), the movie opens with a mysterious man putting on a clown suit and makeup, and then spending the evening terrorizing a small town. This is Art (David Howard Thornton)—and in the end, though he’s seemingly expired, something happens and he’s brought back from the dead.
In Terrifier 2that mystery deepens as the now supernatural Art sets out to kill Sienna (Lauren LaVera) and Jonathan Shaw (Elliott Fullam), siblings whose late father Michael—a comic book artist—had some mysterious connection to Art. We know this because Jonathan has his dad’s sketchbook and it includes newspaper clippings of the events of the first film, along with drawings of Art as well as some of his murders. Mr. Shaw was also in possession of a sword that, somehow, had the power to heal his kids and defeat Art.
In addition, the film introduces a character referred to as the “Little Pale Girl” (Amelie McLain) who may or may not be real, but the audience can see her palling around with Art. Art also has an unexplained impact on Victoria Heyes (Samantha Scaffidi)—the lone survivor of the first film who spent a year recuperating in the hospital after her encounter with Art, and then killed a woman on her first day out.
At this point, after the events of Terrifier 2, we have more questions than answers. We know for a fact that Art was a human but is now something more. We also know Michael Shaw did something, saw something, or was somehow involved with Art or at least the idea of him. But what’s the connection? Did Michael inadvertently resurrect Art in some kind of deal with the devil? Is he the physical manifestation of Michael’s dark side? Is Art actually Michael? How are the kids involved? And what do the Little Pale Girl and Victoria have to do with it? At the end of Terrifier 2we don’t have any idea.
In Terrifier 3that mythology remains largely on the fringes but we do get a few new wrinkles. As the film begins, Art is again resurrected with an assist from Victoria, who gave birth to his head at the end of part two. Once he’s back, he and Victoria (who’s potentially possessed by the Little Pale Girl) go into hibernation for five years. How is that possible? What exactly they are doing? And why? These questions all become new parts of the mystery.
Once Art and Victoria wake up, they’re back on a killing spree, eventually catching up with Sienna and Jonathan again. As that’s happening, more mythology comes through flashbacks that show a young Sienna with her dad Michael (seen here for the first time; he’s played by Jason Patric). We learn that he created a powerful superhero for her, the Angel Warrior (a character Sienna dressed up as in the previous film). We see that Dad has a vision of the older Sienna fighting Art (which happens in Terrifier 2) and there’s also a glimpse at some mysterious Satanic ritual that may involve the Angel Warrior’s armor.
At the end of Terrifier 3spoiler alert, Victoria is killed by Dad’s sword, Art escapes, and Sienna’s young cousin Gabbie (Antonella Rose) goes to Hell. Of course, there’s more to it than that but, that’s the basic gist.
All of which is to say—there are a lot of moving pieces here. The key seems to Michael Shaw who has some connection to Art’s power. But we still don’t know who Art was originally, how he became supernatural, why he seems hellbent on killing Michael’s kids, where the sword came from, what its powers are, and more. Let your imagination run wild about how all that can possibly come together.
Earlier this week, Terrifier creator Damien Leone tweeted “Here’s a promise—Fans who appreciate and champion the fact that the Terrifier franchise does indeed have a plot will feel extremely vindicated when all is said and done.” He certainly knows there are people out there curious about how all this links together, and hopefully he’s got a plan. As of now, that plan is intriguing but equally muddled. However, if after four or five movies it all comes together to reveal how and why Art is the way he is, and it’s something fresh and unique, it’ll all be worth it.
What are your thoughts on the ins and outs of Art’s origins? Let us know below.
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